The interesting thing about the South and West (and their professed individualism) is how much they have relied on the government to advance their interests — whether those be state laws subjugating minorities or the federal funding provided by massive military base construction. Seriously: Look at where the federal government has spent the most billions building bases — not in New England. So, I find that whole “rugged individualism” thing to be a myth and, thus, a red herring.

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